Mud Fever and Clipping - does it help or hinder?

[Ranyhyn]

Thoughts and experiences everyone please..

Kitty

 

[Mavis Cluttergusset]

In my (relatively worthless

) opinion, clipping would make treating it much easier and would enable the whole affected area to dry easily.

 

[_daisy_]

i found it easier to treat when her legs were fully clipped out. and it didnt seem to make her any more susceptible (?) to it.
saying that though, i clipper her legs out last winter and she didnt have her turnout boots on once and didnt get any last year (touches wood for this year though)

 

[JoBo]

In my experience the best thing to do is clip and stick loads of Keratex Mud Shield on! Easier to get to when clipped.
http://www.keratex.com/products/mudshield.html

 

[Flint12]

My horse had mud fever last winter. It was awful, he was a thug, which is just not him. I tried to treat it but due to him being a thug i couldnt and the feathers made it worse.

I in the end got him twitched and clipped the feathers of(not that he had many). I then had to pay about £150 to get the vet out to sedate him and deal with it. From then on he has been fine and i am clipping them of from the start this winter.

So simply take them of imo.

 

[Jane_Lou]

Friend struggled with mud chronic fever with her elderly pony for years using the old mantra of "hair provides a natural barrier" The simple fact with some horses is that the hair, far from providing a barrier to mud provides a barrier to treatment. He now has his legs clipped regularly and washed every night when muddy, he then wears thermatex leg wraps over night which dry his legs and help his arthritis and he has had no mud fever for years. Not for every horse I realise, I am lucky to have never had a horse that suffered but based on experience, where is there is a long term problem, I would clip.

 

[Marilyn]

I heard from a vet that if you leave feathers on, there is less chance that the horse will get mud fever but, if the horse gets mud fever, it's difficult to treat with a feathered leg. Obvious I know but I was told to clip my cob's legs and then the vet said not to for mud fever!

 

[ester]

I dont, and I dont get mud fever, he is always dry at the skin.

If he got an outbreak I would then clip though.


I have more trouble with them in summer when he gets sweaty legs.

 

[Storminateacup]

I find that my fellow is protected by his huge hairy feathers in winter, so never clip them off from Sept - March.
When you dig right into the the hair its all greasy, yet lovely and clean and white near the skin.
Perhaps it is also dependent on how thick and long the hairy heels are as well, but I also found the ID/TB and the ID when not groomed below the legs and the little bit of hair they had at the ergots, protected them too.
Seems to be, Nature Know Best.

 

[skewby]

QR

My horse never had mud fever, only a tiny bit in one or other hind, until I started clipping his legs out.

Now, he has it in all four

he only had a silly little bit of feather (part Suffolk) but it clearly was enough to protect him.

Agree, Keratex mud shield is fab, that's what kept him clear for years and years. When I had feather to put it into, that is!

 

[jazzyjeff11]

I have had two horses suffer with mud fever and the best thing I have found is the net-tex mud fever stuff -they do a shampoo and then a barrier cream -brilliant -not had any flare ups since and my boy's field gets really muddy -and sinc e my first horse got it so bad -he had to have vet treatement -i have clipped out their legs so that I can see any signs early and also towel dry the legs off quickly